GENERATION OF PICOSECOND ELECTRON-BUNCH TRAINS WITH VARIABLE SPACING USING A MULTI-PULSE PHOTOCATHODE LASER

We demonstrate the generation of a train of electron bunches with variable spacing at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator. The photocathode ultraviolet laser pulse consists of a train of four pulses produced via polarization splitting using two alpha-BBO crystals. The photoemitted electron bunches are then manipulated in a horizontally-bending dogleg with variable longitudinal dispersion. A downstream vertically-deflecting cavity is then used to diagnose the temporal profile of the electron beam. The generation of a train composed of four bunches with tunable spacing is demonstrated. Such a train of bunch could have application to, e.g., the resonant excitation of wakefield in dielectric-lined structures. We have presented preliminary measurements on a simple technique to generate a train of electron bunches with variable separation. In the initial experiment appreciable density modulation down to wavelengths of {approx}1.8 mm (corresponding to a temporal separation of {approx}6 ps) were achieved for a total charge of 0.5 nC. Finding ways to reach smaller separations is being explored with the help of numerical simulations and will be presented elsewhere.